From The Presidency:
Deputy President David Mabuza responded to oral question in the National Council of Provinces on Wednesday, 04 November 2020, the questions focused on amongst others, social cohesion, service delivery and the revitalisation of rural and township economies.
In his response to the governing party’s question on the implementation of social cohesion programmes following recent events in Senekal, Deputy President Mabuza acknowledged that the events that unfolded in Senekal were disturbing. The Deputy President also stated that this is an indication that until we have addressed socio-economic disparities, our goal of building a country based primarily on non-racialism and unity across cultural diversity will be prolonged.
The Deputy President further maintained that if the issue of land justice is not addressed, it will provide a fertile ground for social discord and political instability thus leading to social friction that pulls us backwards instead of launching the country into a prosperous and shared future.
As government, we were deeply disturbed by the events that unfolded in Senekal as well as the degeneration into politics of race baiting and divisive populism. # MabuzaQandA
— David D Mabuza (@DDMabuza) November 4, 2020
Deputy President Mabuza also called on South Africans to pursue unity and transcend racial polarisation. “We must refuse to hold too tightly to a past rooted in pain. We must never allow ourselves to be beholden to the pains of yesterday, more than we are to the promises of a better tomorrow. We must never be blinded by hate and fear to the very promise of a united non-racial, non-sexist, just and prosperous South Africa” said Deputy President Mabuza.
As a response to incidences like Senekal, the Deputy President informed the house that government is focusing on three key aspects, namely, consensus on values that shape our nationhood; ensuring that we work towards economic inclusion; and collective action in resolving issues confronting our nation.
Furthermore, the Deputy President announced that the Department of Sports, Arts and Culture continues to intensify the National Reconciliation Project, which seeks to strengthen partnerships with civil society organisations and institutions dealing with the promotion of peace initiatives, mediation and reconciliation.
The Deputy President also responded to questions on service delivery challenges in Maluti-a-Phofung, Emfuleni and Sol Plaatje local municipalities, to which he committed to undertake oversight visits and engage with relevant leadership and local structures, in order to find sustainable resolution to current challenges impacting on service delivery.
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On tackling corruption that undermines the provision of services and implementation of infrastructure projects, Deputy President Mabuza reminded the house that corruption and maladministration impact on the provision of basic services to communities and must be rooted out in all its forms and manifestations. He further invited private sector partners to work with government in supporting local government, as this sphere of government is where service delivery is felt directly by citizens and communities.
The Deputy President further called on consumers to pay for municipal services to ensure constant provision of quality public services. “There is a mutually reinforcing relationship between efficient service delivery and residents’ willingness to pay for services provided,” said Deputy President Mabuza.
Concerning his responsibility to assist the President in stimulating and supporting rural and township economies, the Deputy President noted that one of the key barriers to entry and participation in townships and rural villages is a lack of requisite infrastructure to support small businesses to grow, expand and access bigger domestic and international markets. To this end, government has prioritised the provision of business infrastructure support, including access to office space, connectivity and technology platforms that enhance innovation, through amongst others, special economic zones and by revitalising existing industrial parks and sites.
Deputy President Mabuza further reminded members, that the responsibility of elected representatives is to constantly strive to build the nation and desist from making divisive statements that associate wrong-doing and corruption with certain racial groups.
Deputy President David Mabuza has called on citizens to calm racial unrest where it occurs. He was answering questions during a virtual sitting of the National Council of Provinces #sabcnews
— Radio 2000 (@Radio2000ZA) November 4, 2020
